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The Creation of Hip-Hop
Clive Campbell, now known as "DJ Kool Herc," and his sister Cindy threw a block party, where DJ Kool Herc mixed different records and introduced "breakbeats" while scratching and rapping on top of beats. This started the foundation of Hip-Hop. -
Sugarhill Gang
The first Rap/Hip-Hop song to attain mainstream success was "Rapper's Delight," created by the Sugarhill Gang. This song made a major breakthrough in Hip-Hop, leading more people to listen and sing along. -
Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin was a known record producer. While he attended NYU, he started his own production company out of his dorm room and called it the "Def Jam Recordings." The first initial release on the label was a song from 16-year-old LL Cool J, "I Need A Beat," selling over 100,000 copies. This started the record-producing industry in Hip-Hop. -
Run-DMC
Run-DMC covered a song called "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith and released it on their album "Raising Hell." Def Jam Records produced the song, but it was released by Profile Records." They made history when they had artists from Aerosmith on the track and music video. "Raising Hell" became the first Hip-Hop album to go platinum and multi-platinum. -
Public Enemy and Spike Lee
“Fight The Power” was a single released on Motown Records in the summer of 1989 and later on Public Enemy’s 1990 album, "Fear Of A Black Planet." Spike Lee offered them to write and record a song for his upcoming film. They accepted, and Lee employed the power of hip-hop as a tool for his activism and he whipped up the screenplay for the film in just two weeks. -
"Fight the Power" Public Enemy
Film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel both praised Lee’s Do The Right Thing as the best film of 1989 and later as one of the top ten films of the decade. New listeners praised Public Enemy. "The Bomb Squad" production team produced the song. The song has sold over two million units in the U.S alone. The Library of Congress even added Fear Of A Black Planet to the National Recording Registry. -
Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls Rivalry
There were plenty of positives to Hip-Hop until the negative side started showing. There was a big wave of violence, social injustice, and hostility between 1994 and 1997. The East Coast and West Coast scenes of hip-hop clashed. Ending in the deaths of Tupac and Biggie in a drive-by shooting. This began because the West Coast didn't feel they were getting recognition. Hip-hop was the biggest scene at the moment, but not for the right reasons. This had a huge impact on how people viewed Hip-Hop. -
Jay -Z
Jay-Z became popular upon his release of "Reasonable Doubt." This album used the weight for future artists who aspired to balance crime stories with poetic introspection. Jay-Z started a label called "Roc-A-Fella," which eventually began his collaboration with Def Jam Records. He ventured off and created Roc-Nation. He helped upcoming artists have a platform to realise their music and have hopes of growing bigger and better. Jay-Z changed the hip-hop label industry with his creation. -
Eminem
Eminem was known for his raw and honest lyrics. He spoke on things regarding diversity, family, and addiction. His style of music was different from others, his speed was insanely fast, and he had multiple personas, including himself, "Slim Shady" and "Marshall Matthews", which allowed him to lyricalize within these different personas and speed. Eminem put a different view on the Hip-Hop world bringing in high speeds and different personas. -
Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne became very popular in the early 2000s. He released his solo album "Tha Carter," which jumpstarted his career. He rapped about his childhood and how he couldget out of the "street" lifestyle. This told listeners to get out while they can and that it's not fun. He used his hip-hop platform to show the downside of the thug lifestyle. -
Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre was not only influential with his music and producing, but he was also influential with the creation of "Beats Electronics." Dre looked at the quality of Apple's plastic earbuds and wanted to change the quality of music, so he created Beats Headphones and changed the way of listening to music. This caused a shift in hip-hop when people started hearing a lot more of it. -
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj grew her popularity in the early 2010s. Nicki changed the Hip-Hop industry by rapping about female empowerment and letting females feel they are equal. She expressed her emotions as a young female artist and her journey. She impacted young women to feel like they are needed/wanted for who they are. She released "Pink Friday," and the world went crazy. She shocked so many artists and fans with just one album. -
Drake
Drake began his career in the early 2010s by mixing RB and hip-hop. When the two worlds collided, he was the first to get involved. Drake loved to rap about relationships and love, and give hope to young people that true love still exists. Drake began rapping about fame and how polarity can change who you are. He had a major impact on the Hip-Hop world by empowering young people. He started to change the outer look of Hip-Hop. His career grewwhen he released his most popular album, "Take Care." -
Soundcloud Rap and XXXTENTATION
In the late 2010s, XXXTENTATION became very popular by introducing SoundCloud rap. He began rapping on the SoundCloud platform and made it very popular. He introduced emo rap by expressing his feelings through rap and it inspired young people to do the same. -
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar has been very influential since the early 2010s. He raps about things such as police brutality, Black self-worth, and the impact of substance abuse. He brings light to a lot of these issues and shows his care for them. In 2025, he performed at the Superbowl and was very controversial. he spoke on the political imbalance, social injustice, as well as other artists at fault. Kendrick Lamar is one of the most influential artists of all time.